Disappointing qualifying for Sauber at the Monaco GP

Both drivers struggled with the driveability of their cars and never had the confidence to attack. Esteban Gutiérrez finished in 17th, with Adrian Sutil just one position behind. The team is now concentrating on getting the best out of this situation tomorrow.

Esteban Gutiérrez (Qualifying: 17th in Q1): “It was not a positive qualifying for the team, so we cannot be happy with today’s outcome. We are on the edge of getting into Q2, so every minor incident on track is affecting us massively. Today it was a big challenge to find a clean lap. Bringing the tyres up to temperature took a few laps, which was not ideal either. We need to analyse the data and see what exactly happened. Regarding the race, we all know that it is hard to overtake in Monaco. However, a good start can bring us closer to the front. During the race we have to take any chances that we get.”

Adrian Sutil (Qualifying: 18th in Q1): “It was a disappointing qualifying. The first run was quite good. We just had bad luck with the two yellow flags at the end of the first qualifying session. It is a shame, but that can happen in Monaco. We were not able to show what could have been possible. We now have to look forward. The race is long and everything can happen. I am looking forward and I hope to get the most out of the car.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “That was a disappointing qualifying for us. Neither driver was really satisfied with the set-up of the car. If other circumstances present themselves, such as the yellow flags at the end of the session, this is the outcome. There is no doubt that this will be a difficult race for us. We need to focus on our work and have to make the best out of this situation.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Both our drivers are within just a few milliseconds, which indicates that the result reflects where we are today on this track. We have to accept that at the moment this is our performance, and we have to keep pushing to improve. As for the race, a lot is still possible, as we have seen many times in the past, so we will keep our motivation.”

Sauber F1 Team